GCSE English Literature- Anthology Poetry context and themes

War Photographer themes

• Horror of war

• Our increasing indifference to the victims of conflict- nonchalant attitude

• Loss and absence

• Psychological effects of war

• Effects of conflict

• Reality of Conflict

• Guilt

• Fear 

War Photographer context

• About a photographer returning home from capturing photos of war

• He reflects on his experiences, as well as the suffering and conflict that takes place

• He criticizes the ignorant attitudes of the British population

Remains themes

• Effect of war

• In a war, no one is valued

• Psychological conflict

• Internal conflict

• Trauma of war

Remains context

• Guardsman Tromans, a soldier in Iraq who remembers when he shot a looter and doubts if he made the correct decision

• He returns home and reflects on his decision; thinking he had made the wrong decision he sees the memory over and over again, suffering from the effects of PTSD and his internal and psychological conflict takes control.

Ozymandias themes

• Power of Humans

• Power of nature (romanticism)

• Effects of conflict

• Reality of Conflict

• Pride 

• Art vs power

• hubris

Ozymandias context

• Shelley was a well-known ‘Radical’ poet who often criticized or protested against the dominant social systems of Britain at the time, including:

  • Church

  • Monarchy

  • Class system

  • Rich landowners

• He became known as a ‘Romantic poet’- focusing on the writer or narrator’s emotion and imagination; a celebration of nature; rejection of industrialization, organized religion, rationalism, and social conventions

• The poem is about the discovery of a semi-destroyed and decaying statue of Ramesses II (known as Ozymandias), showing how power deteriorates and will not last forever

• Written during King George III’s reign- generally regarded as a tyrant- reflected in poem

• George III also had mental issues- seen through poem

Kamikaze themes

• Honour and sacrifice

• Psychological conflict

• Internal conflict

• futility

Kamikaze context

• Japanese Kamikaze pilot who was completing his mission in world war two

• he suddenly decided to return home to Japan instead of fulfilling his patriotic duty and dying a hero

• The pilot returns home to be isolated from society as an outcast due to him not sacrificing himself.

• Seppuku- the Japanese act of self-sacrifice and a was seen as honourable in the Samurai, but was later practiced by Japanese troops in WW2

Poppies themes

• power of humans

• power of memories

• War

• Death

• Religion

• first hand experience

• Internal conflict

Poppies context

• A mother recalls caring for her son and reminisces about his childhood before it is revealed that he is no longer there and it is implied that he died in conflict

• mother's experience watching her son go off to war

• She describes the last time she sees him before leaving to fight and her emotional reaction to it.

Charge of the Light Brigade themes

• Hierarchy

• Patriotism

• Power imbalance- military hierarchy

• Honour

• Internal conflict

Charge of the Light brigade context

• 600 men went into the war, only 100 survived- represented through the stanzas

• Men were severely disadvantaged as the Russians and Cossacks had artilery and guns, whereas the British fought on horseback

• Tennyson wrote “The Charge of the Light Brigade” in 1854 during the Crimean War, a conflict between Britain (and its allies) and the Cosacks (and Russians). The poem is based on a real event during the Battle of Balaclava, where a British cavalry unit—the Light Brigade—was mistakenly ordered to charge directly into a valley surrounded by Russian artillery. Due to a miscommunication among commanders, over 600 soldiers were sent on what was essentially a suicidal mission, and many were killed or wounded

• Tennyson was Poet Laureate at the time, which meant he was expected to write poems that promoted national pride and honoured British values like duty, bravery, and patriotism. This poem does just that—it celebrates the soldiers’ heroism and loyalty, even though the command was fatally flawed.

• subtly questions the cost of blind obedience. While he doesn’t openly criticise the military leaders, he hints at the lack of agency the soldiers had, and how they were sacrificed by a mistake. This creates a tension between glorifying war and exposing its tragic consequences.

• reflects Victorian values such as honour, courage, and sacrifice, but it also forces the reader to consider the human cost of war, especially when decisions are made by those far from the battlefield.

Bayonet Charge themes

• Effects of war

• Anti-patriotism

• fragility of human life

Bayonet Charge context

• a soldier who is scared, traumatised and frantic, running away because he realised that the reality of war is different to what was portrayed as his patriotic duty

• The soldier then pauses and questions his direction; whether it was better to be a coward or a fighter and questioning why he was in the war

• realises patriotism isn't going to save him so he becomes a weapon.

• Bayonet Charge explores the raw, terrifying experience of a soldier in the midst of battle. Although the poem is set in World War I, Ted Hughes himself was born in 1930, after the war, and served in the Royal Air Force during his National Service. 

• His poetry often examines nature, violence, instinct, and human psychology, which are all deeply embedded in this poem.

• Rather than glorifying war, Hughes presents it as chaotic, dehumanising, and senseless. The soldier in the poem is nameless and confused, symbolising how war strips people of identity, purpose, and control. 

• The poem reflects a modern, anti-war perspective, challenging older, patriotic portrayals of warfare (like in Charge of the Light Brigade), and showing the internal conflict as much as the external.

• The use of World War I as a setting is significant. WWI marked a turning point in how war was perceived: the sheer scale of suffering, trench warfare, and mechanical brutality led to disillusionment with ideas of glory, honour, and heroism.

• Hughes channels this loss of idealism, showing how ideals like “King, honour, human dignity” collapse under real fear.

Exposure themes

• Inevitability of death in war

• Harsh conditions faced by soldiers

• Power imbalance in military hierarchy

Ex

Exposure context

• Owen and his comrades are freesing in a cold winter at war

• They wait for dangers tensely, but they do not realise their real enemy: hypothermia, the silent killer.

• ‘Exposure’ was written by Wilfred Owen, a British soldier and poet who fought in World War One and was tragically killed in battle just a week before the war ended in 1918. Unlike the patriotic, romanticised war poetry that came before him, Owen’s poetry exposes the brutal reality of life on the front line.

• This poem is based on Owen’s first-hand experience of trench warfare, particularly during a winter in France where soldiers were left frozen, traumatised, and hopeless. The title itself—Exposure—refers not just to the weather, but to how the soldiers are psychologically and physically exposed to suffering, death, and the futility of war.

• At the time, propaganda portrayed war as noble and heroic, but Owen wanted to challenge these illusions. He famously said: “My subject is War, and the pity of War. The poetry is in the pity.” This sums up his aim in Exposure—to show how soldiers suffer not in glorious battles, but in silence, cold, and fear.

• Owen was influenced by the poet Siegfried Sassoon, who also wrote about the truths of war. Their work helped shift the public view of the war from one of pride to one of scepticism and sorrow.

London themes

• Power of humans

• Memories

• Individual experiences

• Wealth

• Appearance and reality

London context

• William blake held radical social and political views for his time (18th to early 19th century)

• Saw poverty and social problems around him caused by the industrial revolution

• London during 18th century was a city of contrasts: rich and poor, upper class and lower class next to each other, fighting for survival on the streets and sitting in a palace

• London riddled with poverty and disease- full of lower class citisens and harlots, extremely overcrowded with impoverished conditions

• People in power (church, monarch, wealthy and landowners) seem to be behind problems but ignorant

The Prelude themes

• Power of Nature

• Conflict between Man and Nature

The Prelude context

• Wordsworth makes references to industrialisation and how it can impact nature by degrading and corrupting it. However, he also mentions how nature is powerful and will one day overcome mankind.

• Many of Wordsworth’s writings fit the nature of a romantic poem but he was not a part of the movement.

• Wordsworth was one of the first poets labelled as a ‘romantic’- much of his poetry had heavy relation to nature

• Poem is an extract called ‘Stealing the boat’ and was an autobiographical poem which was only published after his death- it describes a turning point in a life; a moment of realisation about the weakness of men in the face of the sublime power of nature

• The Prelude is one of Wordsworth's most famous works and is considered a cornerstone of Romantic literature. Written in 1798, The Prelude is an autobiographical poem in which Wordsworth reflects on his own development and growing awareness of nature’s power, beauty, and spirituality. 

• The poem is often seen as a journey of self-discovery, with nature playing a central role in shaping the poet’s thoughts, emotions, and understanding of life.

• Wordsworth was part of the Romantic movement, which valued emotion, imagination, and the sublime—the awe-inspiring, often terrifying beauty of nature that overwhelms the human mind. 

• The Romantics reacted against the Industrial Revolution, which they saw as a time of alienation from nature and the growth of materialism and mechanisation. Wordsworth believed that a deeper connection to nature could help people discover a more authentic and spiritual understanding of life.

• The Prelude reflects this belief, as Wordsworth explores the way nature has shaped his identity and his understanding of the world. This particular section of the poem focuses on a moment of personal crisis during a youthful adventure, where the speaker experiences a shift from innocence to awareness. 

• The power of nature is both beautiful and terrifying, and the speaker’s awe is tinged with fear as he realises the vastness and uncontrollability of the natural world.The poem is also influenced by 

• Wordsworth’s own life experiences, particularly his time spent in the Lake District in northern England, where he grew up and later lived. 

• His deep connection to nature in this environment shaped much of his poetry. The mountain in this excerpt can be seen as symbolic of the overwhelming power of nature, which, in moments of reflection, reveals the fragility of human existence in comparison.

My Last Duchess themes

• Power of humans

• Memories

• Identity 

• Pride

My Last Duchess context

• ‘My Last Duchess’ was written by Robert Browning in 1842 during the Victorian era

• society had strict views on gender roles, power, and social class. 

• dramatic monologue, based on the historical figure Duke Alfonso II of Ferrara, a 16th-century Italian nobleman. 

• historical backdrop to explore themes of power, control, jealousy, and patriarchy

• The Duke in the poem is showing a painting of his late wife to a visitor and casually reveals that he may have had her killed because she didn’t behave the way he wanted

• reflects the extreme control men had over women, especially in aristocratic society, where marriages were more about status and power than love.

• Victorian Britain, women were expected to be obedient and passive, especially within marriage. Browning uses the Duke’s voice to critique these controlling attitudes, showing how they can lead to possessiveness, dehumanisation, and even violence. 

• The Duchess is never allowed to speak for herself—she exists only as a painting, a symbol of how women were silenced.

• Browning was also influenced by the Romantic and Gothic movements, which often explored dark human psychology and obsession. The Duke’s calm, polite tone makes his disturbing admissions even more chilling, revealing his cold, manipulative nature.

Storm on the Island themes

• Power of humans (lack of)

• Power of nature

• Fear 

• Effects of conflict

Storm on the Island context

• Seamus Heaney was a Northern Irish poet writing during a time of political unrest and violence, particularly linked to The Troubles—a long conflict between Unionists (who were mainly Protestant and wanted to remain part of the UK) and Nationalists (mostly Catholic, who wanted to join with the Republic of Ireland). 

• While Storm on the Island can be read as a poem about the brutal power of nature, many critics interpret it as an extended metaphor for political conflict, especially the anxiety and fear experienced during The Troubles.

• The isolated island setting reflects vulnerability and the idea of being exposed, not just to nature but to danger and unpredictability, much like civilians caught in political violence. The storm becomes a symbol of both natural and man-made threats—powerful, invisible, and relentless.

• Heaney often wrote about the rural Irish landscape and its connections to history, identity, and conflict. The poem reflects this, showing how even places that seem peaceful or natural can become sites of fear, tension, and uncertainty.

Tissue themes

• Identity

• Power of humans

• Power of nature

tissue context

• Power of paper- 

  • Books banned- burned

  • Books give power to the people

  • Paper symbolically powerful, but physically weak

  • Self-censorship- controls the people

  • Educates people- lack of education is the first way to contain the people from revolting

• Imtias Dharker background:

  • Born in Lahore, Pakistan

  • Mixed-identity- Describes herself as Scottish-Pakistani 

  • Calvinist-muslim

    • Calvinist- reformed Christians

  • Describes scrutiny of her life because of her background- inspires her to look at her identity- uses the poem as a method for one to seek their own identity

• Paper is powerful as it can record the past and memories of others and therefore holds an infinite amount of knowledge that can be passed down to future generations without being changed.

• Message about fragility of human power

The Emigree themes

• Power of humans

• Power of nature

• Loss and absence

• Memories

• Individual experiences

• Identity

• Pride and patriotism

The Emigree context

• Dilemma of immigration forced by war or conflict to leave home and the longing to return

• Maintains peaceful memories of former home and regrets leaving but bombarded with negativiitng and criticism from media

• Displaced person reflects on their city of birth

• Lack of spceific details- relation with reader

• Speaker can never return and feels threatened in new city but supported by memories of home.

• Location of her city may be in Russia/USSR or middle east

Checking Out Me History themes

• Anger

• Identity

• Power of nature

Checking Out Me History context

• Born in British Guyana which was a country in the British empire; since gaining its independence, the nation is called Guyana

• Independence was granted in 1966

• Under the rule of the british empire, Agard will have witnessed the dominance of the british governmental rule which stripped the nation of its cultural heritage

• He was educated on british history but not taught his own Guyana heritage

• The poem is written as a protest against oppression of his culture by the British and remembers less known figures in history that have been overshadowed by British figures. 

• Eurocentric perspective forced by the British, suppressing the history of Guyana, and the wider Caribbean area. His heritage is/would be forgotten to time, as the colonists rewrite the work of Guyanans and people of the caribbean. 

• “Toussaint louverture”

  •  A ruler who led the enslaved people to victory in the haitian revolution

  • Louverture was captured by the french revolutionaries during what was meant to e a peaceful parley; he was imprisoned in france and died in prison 1803

• “Nanny de maroon”

  • Led a community of formerly enslaved people called the ‘maroons’ that had escaped from slavery

• “Mary seacole”

  • Paid to fight in the Crimean war as a volunteer but less recognised than Nightingale